Stories of our families are like blossoms. Some are beautiful stories full of life. Others are not so beautiful, like spent blossoms. Some are just buds as we try to find more information about them. Other stories may be like the loose stones under the tree-not related to the family at all.

Friday, 17 April 2015

O is for Olive McCance

Just a short post. O is for Olive McCance.
When I was tracing the descendants of Hannah Maria Laws ( GG Grandfather's younger sister) who married Charles Johnson in Alverstoke Hampshire in 1860 I found one of their daughters, Marion Annie Johnson, married James Crawford McCance in Islington Middlesex in 1889. By the 1891 census James and Marion had a son Norman and James was working as a commercial clerk.

Now O is Olive and Olive Margaret McCance was born in 1893 in Islington.

Another O-overseas. They set off for Melbourne Victoria Australia from London on 13th June 1894 Two more children were born in Australia- Aileen Mary in 1899 and Alan in 1903 and he sadly died that same year.

Now Olive grew up to be a successful young woman as seen by her University of Melbourne results in The Argus Melbourne 17 April 1914. She obtained First Class Honours in Modern Languages and Literature.
The following snippets from the newspapers show her varied activities-scholastic results, sports and volunteer war effort .

BRILLIANT LIFE-SAVER
Recently Miss Olive McCance had the distinct
ion of receiving the diploma of the Royal Life Saving Society. which is the highest award of the society. She passed her swimming test early in the year and then did the theoretical test, which consisted of an essay of 4,000 words on the value of swimming, the best method of teaching it, fatigue, breathlessness, physiology, and several other life-saving subjects. The essay was sent to England to be judged, and the result entitled Miss McCance to her diploma. She has been swimming for about four years and during that time she gained general proficiency, the bronze medal, and the award of merit, in addition to diploma.
(2) 1932 'WOMEN'S SPORTS.', The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 -
1946), 17 September, p. 26 Edition: METROPOLITAN EDITION, viewed 15
April, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141364337

TO MARCH TO-DAY.-Members of the St. Kilda V.A.D. -Ida Proudfoot, assistant commandant (left) and Olive McCance-who will be among the women marching to-day. They are shown in their sky blue uniforms, which have detachable white Peter Pan collars and a white breast pocket bearing a red cross, and are worn with
white caps, grey stockings, and black shoes.